Private Chef Alan San Diego, CA, United States

Classically trained chef with a variety of modern fine dining, traditional, and historical influences,

My cuisine focuses on applying modern ideals to traditional preparations. Whether it be updating a favorite comfort dish (sorry mom, I still love your meatloaf!!) or modernizing an Elizabethan feast, I'm happy to put a delicious modern spin on any old school dishes. I do also love making the old classics, just as they were made in their own era. I love using molecular techniques to add an element of surprise to plates, and to have fun with traditional texture and flavor combinations. My studies of traditional cooking techniques from a variety of world cultures help inform those combinations as well, and I take pride in my ability to recreate almost authentic versions of traditional dishes from across the world. I firmly believe that a meal should represent the tastes and preferences of the diner, as interpreted through the mind of the chef; meaning every menu is open to customization, depending on the preferences and dietary needs of a given group of diners. As mentioned above, wine or cocktail pairings can also be added (at an appropriate additional cost). All of the food in the photos has been prepared and plated by me, and photographed by a variety of talented photographers (specific credits available on request).

I have a strong background in Frech technique, and have worked in fine dining in Los Angeles and with celebrity chefs during my time in culinary school. I am an obsessive and voracious student of traditional and historic ingredients, techniques, and cultures. I am the founder of Witt's Pickles; an artisanal producer of traditionally preserved pickled vegetables, focusing on preserving locally sourced organic produce, as well as the techniques of food preservation itself. I am also an experienced bartender and mixologist, and happy to create drink pairings for any menu.

American, Asian, Decadent, Europe, French, Molecular